The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-01-01
A VERY "GOOD" JOKE.


How Three Manufactured Boys Stocked
Snow Fort Instead of StOrming 1t
and Became Brothers to a Poor Little
Girl. .Y46 es
'Bet I'd like to be a great, rich man,
and able to give lots O nice things to
awful poor folks that's starving; bet I'd
be a jolly fellow to be King, wouldn't
any my subjects suffer for bread"
And with this speech, Reuby Crane
shutu the book he had been reading
and looked dreamily out of the window.
sometimes quite small boys are very
much more generous than Kings even,"
said grandma, who sat knitting in the
room
Don't see how they can be-" said
Reuben, whose boy friends called him
Ruby, or Rube. Il never nave dol
lars; and cents don't buy much.
"There are other things besides dol
lars in this world to do good with, my
little boy. 1t often is a great thing to
share what we have v it'll others; almost
any body can do that"
'Well, | might share my next cents
worth o peanuts with you, grandma,
guess | will; but here comes Frank and
Dicky, so | must be of. "
Grandma knew Reuby well, and
smiled to herself at his roguish reply,
but she felt sure his heart was in the
right place, and although he often an
swered in a joking way little things she
said to him, yet it often occurred after
wards that he by some little deed would
show he had thought seriously of his
kind grandmother words.
Christmas had Just come and gone,
and Frank Payne and Dickey Miles had
each received so many presents they
declared they had hardly known what
to do with them, while Reuby Crane
still had a box partly filled with candy
! at home, a number of toys also, to say
nothing of bright new half dollar
| Uncle John Crane had sent him to do
Just what he pleased with. And mann
ma, partly to carry out Uncle John 5
wishes. and partly to see what judg-
ment the boy would show in using the
money, had agreed that he should
spend it in any way he chose. But
Christmas was still only four days past,
and such surfeit of goodies had been
enioyed then, it was much too soon
to think of laying out money for either
toys, games or candy. Even the be-
loved peanuts were not crayed at
present
"Oh Rube," said Frank Payne,
"don't you know those poor Nibley's
way down the road; they're just as poor
as crows. Dickv and asked them what
they had for Christmas, and they kinder
flushed up and said Well, times had
been hard, and their father hadn't been
able to do much work lately, so they
didn't have much to speak of at Christ
mas, but they said they were going to
have a Jolly time New Years Day; they
were goin' to build fort of snow, and
play twas a house, and make believe
they had company. Sis. as they called
her. was goin' to play with them and
they expected great sport"
'Oh, | saym began Dicky, his mis-
chievous face dimpling all over, what
fun 'twould be to creep around the
nicht before New Years after the ole
forts all built and pitch it over; knoel
the whole thing down, then if we coulC
only hear them when they saw the ruins
in the mornin', wouldn't it be s-ort"
Frank Payne didn't reply, but hi
looked amused. Reuby giggled, theI
said. half soberly: Don't you thinl
'twould be meanP"
MEAN? Why no, persisted Dicky
'after they got through their surpris
we could own up who did it, and he'll
them build up again.
"WeH, we might do that" sal,
Frank.
All at once Reuby thought of Grand
ma Crane, and wondered what sh
would say to such sport as that. He be
came 50 very thoughtful that for seyera